The Wireless Development Weblog - wirelessdev.weblogsinc.com

Reliable Compression For J2ME Apps

Posted Apr 21, 2004, 5:05 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

JCraft has a J2ME library for Zlib compression, used for gzip compression among other things. Notes for the J2ME version:

We have modified version of JZLIB, which may work on devices with very low memory amounts available, such as J2ME mobile phones. The minimum phone is Siemens S55, having about 340Kb for the heap of Java Midlet. Actually our programs, using GUI and modified JZLIB for compression of data which they exchange with our server applications run successfully on this device.

Resources For Determining Device Capabilities

Posted Apr 21, 2004, 4:36 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

The J2ME Device Database does a good job of organizing existing J2ME devices by showing their screen size, color resolution, soft buttons, and heap size capabilities. This online database allows you to also view the list based on API, connection, and network support.

Also available are is the SysInfo Midlet, which should prove very useful to J2ME developers:

The SysInfo MIDlet can be used for easy contribution of device stats to the database or simply to get an overview of a device’s capabilities. It probes several aspects of the MIDP environment it is running in and lists the results. In particular, it will try to establish a networking connection to find out which protocols are available, check the limits of several built-in classes and do some benchmarking for RMS and the overall device.

For a more general device capability database, check out the WURFL. More on WURFL at a later date.

Look To Your Orb For The Warning

Posted Apr 21, 2004, 2:38 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

I gotta admit that I originally filed this sort of thing away under the same mental folder that held “breakthroughs” such as DigiScents and CueCat (not to get sidetracked but I believe that the “VP of Scentography” job title may be the defining position of the late 1990’s). However, after pausing to think about it, I think Ambient Devices just may be on to something. The current shift to service-oriented architectures will open up a host of previously siloed information and for much of it to be of interest to consumers, it has to be quickly and easily accessible.

Picture the following scenarios and decide which you think is the most usable:

User wants to know tomorrow’s weather forecast. He holds his mobile phone, opens the browser, clicks on a hyperlink to Weather.com, waits for URL to load, clicks on area of country in which he’s currently located, and scrolls down to view tomorrow’s temperature range and forecast.
User glances at panel across top of phone and notices it green on the left but fading to a dark purple on the right.

Option #2 is clearly preferrable, although not complete. I’d say that 90% of the time I only want to know the basic info along with a basic trend: is the market up/down, are Bush’s poll numbers up/down, is the weather improving/deteriorating, is my favorite team winning or losing, are there any urgent news stories that require my immediate attention, etc.

Like many startups, Ambient pigeonholed themselves for the short-term by releasing focused products (such as the Stock Orb and the Weather Beacon). Of greater interest in the long-term is the overarching platform that they are defining, consisting of the Ambient Information Network and the Ambient Device Design. More technical information can be found at their Technical Resources page.

Interested in building your own orb? Check out:

Internalization/Localization For J2ME

Posted Apr 21, 2004, 11:38 AM ET by Bryan Morgan

A great article over at IBM developerWorks: Considerations of Globalization Solutions In J2ME. I18N/L18N is certainly a major issue in the wireless space, where a single app deployed to a single carrier may need to support many languages and character sets. However, it’s often among the last considerations on many development projects and architecture efforts. Key takeaways from this article:

The architecture should be capable of supporting all languages.
Remove the need for application developers to decide which encoding the application will support. Developers should only have to focus on business logic.
Pay more attention to the UI differences in devices so that the developers won’t have to. The width and length of a device screen impacts the UI design.
Enable the service providers to extend the language support. This operation is completed during the deployment phase.
Allow local users to select their preferred languages as provided by the application. The UI component should change immediately when the users switch the locale, without having to reset or reboot the device.

Another resource: Localizing For Mobile Devices

Developers Port Game From BREW To Windows Mobile In Less Than One Month. Industry Yawns.

Posted Apr 21, 2004, 11:32 AM ET by Bryan Morgan

This case study seems to be making the rounds, perhaps because of the tantalizing headline (”Game Port from BREW to Windows Mobile-Based Devices Completed in Less Than One Month“) ....or perhaps because this may mark the beginning of stepped-up efforts at Microsoft to target the entrenched mobile gaming platforms (J2ME and BREW).

To be fair, there are some good thoughts in the case study, such as:

”We believe that mobile, one-handed devices with the OTA (Over-The-Air) Internet connection are a unique gaming platform, and we are concentrating on realizing their potential. We plan to exploit multiplayer capabilities heavily, and we are currently working on a multiplayer version of Fight Hard, as well as other games.”

I think the real lesson here, however, is that these guys did a great job architecting the initial app, allowing such a port to be made possible.

G5 separated the 3D engine code from both the UI (user interface) and handset API (application programming interface) code.

In other words, the headline probably should say: “G5 Software Builds Great App…Reaps Benefits”.

Microsoft Mobility Goes Webcast Crazy

Posted Apr 21, 2004, 11:28 AM ET by Bryan Morgan

Smartphone Thoughts has a list of an incredible amount of MSDN Webcasts for the month of May, designed to enlighten developers on Windows Mobile topics. A rough back-of-the-napkin calculation confirms that if you actually attend all of these then take a brief summer vacation, you may find yourself unemployed when you return to coding :-) Highlights include:

Kudos to Microsoft for continuing to supply developers with more than enough information on their mobile platform. I haven’t quite decided whether they simply have more resources than the competition or whether the competition still doesn’t realize the value of embracing their developer communities.

Mobile Giants Deny Handset Power Play

Posted Apr 21, 2004, 11:06 AM ET by Bryan Morgan

Good article at Computer Business Review Online that states what many have speculated:

Six of the world’s largest mobile operators have denied speculation that they are in the process of forming a cartel to put pressure on handset and software vendors to meet their requirements.

More on this can be found at The Register.

The discussion centers around negotiations between Vodafone, O2, Orange, Telefonica Moviles, Telecom Italia Mobile, and T-Mobile and upstart SavaJe Technologies, developer of the SavaJe OS. If you’re not familiar with SavaJe, they’ve been a PersonalJava proponent almost from the outset, as summarized by this blurb from their website:

The SavaJe Operating System fully supports both Personal Basis Profile and Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) Applications. At its foundation lies a technically advanced multi-threaded, multi-tasking operating system supporting the industry standards essential to the wireless market. Advanced functionality includes full HTML web browsing, SMS messaging, games, PIM, full motion video, and MP3 support. SavaJe also enables Over-the-Air (OTA) application provisioning and device management, including OS patching and upgrades.

For developers calling for more access to the underlying device than J2ME MIDP allows, the oft-forgotten Personal Basis Profile defines the following capabilities:

2 M minimum ROM available
1 M minimum RAM available
Robust connectivity to some type of network.
Basic graphical user interface, permitting AWT applications written using only lightweight components.
Supporting a complete implementation of the J2ME Foundation Profile

But, I digress. The gist of the article is that these carriers are aligning to counteract the increased market influence of Nokia and the Symbian OS. A smaller company such as SavaJe would certainly be more “pliable” to carriers wishes although increased fragmentation by carriers, platform vendors, and device manufacturers is the last thing the application developer wants to see.

Got Nokia? Get Mobile Settings!

Posted Apr 20, 2004, 1:00 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

Thanks to a link on Michael Yuan’s Enterprise J2ME blog, I came across this useful Nokia web site that allows you to send configuration information to a specified phone based on information you enter into the portal. The site supports the following:

E-mail setup
Browser setup
MMS setup
Send Bookmark
Send Contact
Send Calendar

Currently, it looks like only carriers in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, and Mexico are supported but if there is a Europe/AsiaPac version of this, please let me know. For U.S. users, the following carriers are supported: AT&T Wireless, Cincinnati Bell, Cingular, iwireless, SunCom, and T-Mobile.

Professional Java Game Development Tutorial From Sun

Posted Apr 20, 2004, 10:14 AM ET by Bryan Morgan

Good article covering a Game Development tutorial held at the Game Developer’s Conference last month. Interesting note:

There seemed to be less concern this year about the speed or efficiency when using Java technologies in games, and most of the attendees seemed more concerned with finding out which Java technologies were useful in game development, including the mobile platform.

I don’t think that means that performance has improved…just that developers have managed to ship a few apps and now know that squeezing good performance out of J2ME is possible, if not easy.

BEA Announces New WebLogic Magazine

Posted Apr 20, 2004, 10:12 AM ET by Bryan Morgan

From BEA, developer of the popular WebLogic J2EE application server:

At BEA eWorld 2004, BEA dev2dev will launch our new free magazine, WebLogic Pro! The first issue of this magazine will focus on Service-Oriented Architecture, and includes articles on web services, XMLBeans, and a special feature article written by Scott Dietzen, BEA’s CTO. This issue will include special BEA announcements around eWorld too - this is one issue you don’t want to miss!

Tadpole-Cartesia Partners with Trimble to Launch Automated GIS/GPS Data System

Posted Apr 20, 2004, 9:28 AM ET by Bryan Morgan

The big news here isn’t that there is a company called “Tadpole”, although that is certainly newsworthy in and of itself. Two major players in the location-based services space are partnering to deliver solutions based on the king-of-the-spatial-hill ESRI software suite.

Tadpole-Cartesia, Inc. today announced a business partner agreement with Trimble enabling it to integrate its GO! Sync for ArcPad software with Trimble’s Mapping and GIS products, including the GeoExplorer(R) series of rugged GPS handheld receivers, the Trimble(R) Recon(TM) rugged handheld data collectors and GPS Pathfinder(R) systems. The result is an automated GIS/GPS data management system for mobile workers using Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile(TM) 2003 software for Pocket PCs and ESRI’s ArcPad(R) mobile GIS software within the ArcGIS environment in government, municipalities, utilities, telecommunications and other geocentric enterprises.

Trimble’s GeoExplorer(R) series handhelds are unique tools for mobile GIS applications. The handhelds are lightweight, rugged, have an all-day battery and combine the power of Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile(TM) 2003 software for Pocket PCs and a high-performance Trimble GPS receiver with integrated Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability.

For more information, visit any of these sites:

Coca-Cola Enterprises Prepares For Major Rollout To 28,000 Workers

Posted Apr 20, 2004, 9:21 AM ET by Bryan Morgan

A trend you’ll probably notice on this weblog as we move forward is a focus on enterprise rollouts of mobile applications. Mobile games are interesting and they generate easy-to-recognize revenues for carriers and developers alike. More difficult to notice are major mobile successes inside corporations - the ROI is difficult to pin down and revenues usually can’t be directly attributed to it. However, that’s the space where most of us building wireless apps are currently working. Along those lines comes this announcement from Coca-Cola Enterprises:

The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), today announced that Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:CCE), the world’s largest producer, bottler and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages, is purchasing Symbol’s next-generation handheld computer, the Symbol MC9000, as part of a comprehensive enterprise mobility solution for its North American and European mobile workforce.

The new Symbol handheld computer developed with Coca-Cola Enterprises, a variation of the recently introduced Symbol MC9000-G, is rugged and reliable enabling it to work in extreme temperatures and weather conditions. It has important features that benefit Coca-Cola Enterprises workers including a bright, high-resolution color screen for easy reading indoors and outdoors; Symbol Wi-Fi wireless networking; Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile 2003 Software for Pocket PC for robust application development; the powerful 32-bit XScale(TM) processor from Intel; and rechargeable, extended-use lithium-ion batteries. The MC9000 incorporates the new Symbol imaging engine, which at one-fifth of a cubic inch is the smallest miniature bar code imaging system, combining CCD sensor technology with “Smart Focus” technology from Symbol plus proven intuitive laser-aiming guidance and self-illumination. The resulting benefits include outstanding performance reading both one-dimensional and two-dimensional bar code symbols from multiple angles as well as excellent image capture quality.

One interesting trend in the mobile device space that doesn’t get talked about enough is this divergence between enterprise and consumers. Enterprises clearly seem to be lining up behind the Windows Mobile platform, for reasons I’ll discuss at a later time. Consumers, meanwhile, tend to be flocking to the Symbian platform, largely behind the strength of great devices from Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Stay tuned!

Developing Wireless Content using XHTML Mobile

Posted Apr 19, 2004, 1:54 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

A good overview of the XHTML Mobile specification at XML.com. The author covers cascading style sheets, mobile profiles, and the ever-popular WURFL in order to deliver content to a variety of devices using PHP, XML, and XSLT. A brief snippet:

XHTML Mobile Profile is a step in the right direction, but there are still challenging obstacles ahead in regards to multi-platform wireless development. Many vendors have chosen different implementations of XHTML Mobile Profile in their mobile browsers. For example, the Access browser on Japanese DoCoMo cellphones supports the stripped down XHTML Basic rather than the entire Mobile Profile specifications. New Nokia phones can handle XHTML Mobile Profile, but without the WAP namespace support.

A solution to get around these differences is to go with the lowest common denominator — create web pages and content in strict XHTML Basic, which is theoretically supported on all devices. Unfortunately, this solution doesn’t really take into account or harness the amazing proprietary features found on many devices. Fortunately, you can have the best of both worlds without having to write down or research the capabilities of an untold number of devices.

I guess you’d expect it to be covered on XML.com but, based on my experience, I’d seriously look beyond XSLT for any moderate-to-large application.

Syncing Your P800 With Linux

Posted Apr 19, 2004, 1:38 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

I suppose there’s a site out there for every <insert your device here>-to-Linux setup but this one for SonyEricsson P800 owners seemed particularly informative. The author explains how to sync your device with a Linux box via Bluetooth and via the modem.

WaveMarket Introduces Traffic and Road Speed Determination In Seoul

Posted Apr 19, 2004, 1:31 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

Maybe it’s just me but when WaveMarket officially “unveiled” themselves at Demo 2004, the two words that stick in my mind about the company are ‘mobile blogging’. Not sure whether there was real tech there or simply a crafty company riding the wave of media interest around all things blog, I filed them away for future examination. Today, however, comes news of an enterprise-class, real-world deployment in Seoul, South Korea between WaveMarket and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

EMERYVILLE, Calif. and SEOUL — April 19, 2004 — Using WaveMarket’s
WaveAlert technology, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) launches a traffic determination service using real-time GPS location coordinates to provide road speed conditions on every street and road in Seoul, Korea. It is the first service of its kind, offering the most complete and up-to-date traffic coverage of any city in the world.

Typical traffic determination systems are expensive to deploy and monitor and can only provide traffic data for the limited number of roads where sensors and cameras are installed. SMPA provides real-time traffic information for every road in Seoul by using WaveAlert’s fully automated location event software to examine location data from GPS-enabled taxicabs and other standard sensory devices in Metropolitan Seoul. WaveAlert’s scalable software produces intelligent traffic estimates even for the streets out of coverage using its
patent-pending traffic determination algorithms.

So, it appears that this is a company looking to capitalize on the enormous opportunity of mobile location-based services, with a vision extending far beyond the “mobile blog” blurbs from a few months back.

New Development Guides From Nokia

Posted Apr 19, 2004, 1:15 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

Forum Nokia is known for releasing more technical documentation than can ever possibly be consumed by a single team, however two recent documents caught my eye:

Series 80 Development Platform 2.0: Designing XHTML/HTML Content is a 15-page document that steps the reader through the WAP browser provided with the Series 80 platform. Information on HTML and XHTML support is provided as well as details on content customization. More of a “getting started” guide (as opposed to an all-encompassing reference) but if you’re interested in customizing your app for Series 80 devices, this is probably the first thing you should commit to memory.

Multiplayer Mobile Games: Business Challenges and Opportunities does a great job of summarizing why releasing a great mobile app goes beyond simply porting your existing J2SE app to J2ME. The real focus of this document is the business model behind multiplayer gaming, citing this next-gen model from T-Mobile and CipSoft:

Instead, users pay for the data traffic they create over T-Mobile’s General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network. The actual cost to play varies according to the amount of traffic and the specific tariff option that each user selects. The base cost starts at .10 euros ($0.12 USD) per 10 KB, and the cost can be as low at .02 euros ($0.02 USD) per 10 KB for high amounts of traffic. According to Stephan Vogler, CipSoft’s project manager, the typical player generates about 400 KB in traffic per hour of play, for between 4 euros ($4.78 USD) and .80 euros ($.96 USD) per hour, depending on the player’s deal with T-Mobile. T-Mobile pays CipSoft a fee for each user, based on server usage. Vogler says “This is not a real airtime revenue share, but it is almost equivalent.”

By the way, Forum Nokia does have an RSS Feed!

Welcome To The WirelessDevLog!

Posted Apr 19, 2004, 10:25 AM ET by Weblogs, Inc. Staff

Welcome! This post marks the launch of the Weblogs, Inc. “Wireless Development Weblog”, a blog devoted to the technologies, devices, and industry developments of specific interest to mobile and wireless application developers. It is my hope that this blog will complement the other excellent blogs focusing on the wireless industry, including WIN’s own Wireless Weblog and WiFi Weblog. Other sites and weblogs that I personally find valuable will be featured in my blogroll. While generally focusing on mobile technologies such as J2ME, BREW, WAP, and SMS, broader areas of interest to developers - such as the move to 3G communications, carrier programs, location-based services, and server-side technologies - will also be featured.

A quick backgrounder on myself: I’ve been a professional software developer since 1991, after receiving my Electrical Engineering degree. I’ve worked on myriad platforms using a variety of technologies with both very small and very large companies and have been involved with wireless application development since 1999. After co-authoring a number of books and writing for a number of trade pubs, my interest in wireless technologies led me to launch the Wireless Developer Network in 2000. Since then, I’ve been involved with product development for a Fortune 100 technology company as well as contributing to industry publications, including Wireless Week, TheFeature.com, InformIT.com, and Mobile Pipeline. I’m currently back doing full-time development as a software architect and also working on a book (tentatively titled Wireless Application Development and Architecture) for Morgan Kaufmann, to be published in 2005.

As an aside, I’m interested in seeing how far we can take this format, having neither the time nor the energy to undertake a full-blown developer portal at this point. In fact, the argument could be made that such an online “community” is yesterday’s news. Does the advent of XML-based site syndication herald the advent of the next-generation Web? I guess we’re all here plowing ahead on our way to finding out. I do think there is currently a clear line between journalism, reporting, and blogging - even in the technology media - however what fun are lines that can’t be blurred? As time allows, I hope to populate this site with the occasional original review, tutorial, or code snippet allowing me to take this beyond a simple regurgitation of links and stream-of-consciousness thoughts.. If you’re reading this months from now and find that I’ve slipped behind on this goal, take that opportunity to remind me of my original vision :-)

In the meantime, if you’re interested in wireless technologies and/or software development, add this to your bookmarks or subscription lists and feel free to let me know if you have any news or see anything that may be of interest to the wireless development community.

Posted Apr 21, 2004, 5:05 PM ET by Bryan Morgan

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